Adventure Magazine Cover — page 10: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

sun-Dog Trails 9 danged fools and a pinto team after it. Giddap.”’ Limpy turned and went down the street. Harp yawned and opined that he would buck the wheel for a while, being as he had a new job. and didn’t have any use for the last money that Bunty would ever pay him. Brick and Silent sat down in the shade of a building. Silent watched Brick roll and shape a cigaret, and then he said: “Vuh might tell me what it was. yuh might, but the will or not.” Brick lighted his cigaret and pinched out the lighted match before grinding it under his heel. Then he reached into his hip pocket and took out a soiled envelope, which he held in his cupped hands. There was just a name on it: SCOTT MARTIN. I say, only knows if yuh It had been opened. Brick slowly drew out the slip of paper, and he and Silent read the penciled note. Tuesday, I think. J will be on stage and will sig- nal at first curve. If no signal, let go. If there, J will go to Marlin, unless trouble. Can take care of - self. This is big. Meet you in same place. (Signed) O, Brick and Silent looked at each other for a moment and then down at the note. Brick folded it up and replaced it in his pocket. “Know who Scott Martin is?” asked Silent. Brick nodded and puffed on his cigaret. “Bought out the old Weepin’ Tree ranch. Tall, freckled hombre, about fifty years old. Ties his gun down.” “Rides a blaze-faced bay,” added Silent. “Pye seen him. Kinda puts the deadwood - onhim, Brick. Gee cripes, a man’s a sucker to take chances on losin’ that kind of a note.” . “Fools ain’t all dead,” grinned Brick. “Tn fact, I reckon, they’re right in their prime.” “Whatcha goin’ to do about it?” Silent was getting anxious. “Wait for the reward.” ‘Here comes ‘Sun-Dog’s swell-elegant sheriff, Brick.” Brick and’ Silent strolled down and watched Bunty and his deputy get out of their buggy. “Well, 1 see yuh got back safe,” observed Brick. Three Star grunted, but Bunty ignored them. “Did yuh find any tracks in the dust?” in- quired Brick, insinuating that the officers did not get far from their buggy. “Td hate to have ’em follerin’ me in the snow,” stated Silent. “Betcha they’d make me go some. Did yuh find the woman?” “You're loco,” declared Three Star. ““‘Women don’t hold up stages.” “Silent, me and you can’t lie a-tall—not and get away with it.” Brick grew very despondent. “Other fellers can lie and make anybody believe——”’ “Wait a minute!” snapped the exasper- ated sheriff. ‘You two talk too much and say nothin’.” “What can yuh expect?” wailed Silent. “They took our guns and we’ve got all ex- cited. Nobody can talk sense when they’re excited.” “Can you describe the robbers?” asked Bunty. “Sure.” Brick stepped in close to Bunty and grew very accurate in his description. “Medium size; mebbe a little taller. Both wore overalls, shirts and boots and had masks on.” “One chawed spittin’-weed,”’ added Si- lent. “Yuh ought to be able to find him easy. Yeah, he sure did. And another thing—they all had guns.” “You think you’re smart!” snapped Bunty. “What about the woman? You’ve told several different stories.” “That’s right.” - Brick grew serious. “Silent, we’ve made a awful mistake thataway. Anyway—” Brick grinned at Bunty—“anyway, I can’t remember just what he did tell; so we'll stick to all of ’?em.”’ Bunty grunted with disgust over this ridiculous statement and went into the office, followed by Three Star, equally dis- gusted, while Brick and Silent grinned joy- fully and went back up the street to the Dollar Down, where they found Harp lean- ing against the bar, twanging dolefully. “Git him away,” wailed a half-drunk cow- boy from the Bar S, pointing at Harp. “His kinda music makes me cry, and when I cry I get mean,” and then he added mean- ingly, “I’ve been cryin’ quite a while now.” Harp grinned. Just then came an COpmiceoookS. (S@)